NEW RELEASE - ALBUM “THE LOCAL ORCHESTRA” Featuring track “Work” arranged by VAN DYKE PARKS

The Sound: Brand new album featuring track "Work" arranged by the legendary Van Dyke Parks.  This is an album of whirling symphonic mayhem mixed with old-world vibrations, folkloric sensations and soothing incantations.  "It sounds like it was created in some parallel universe where Nick Drake created Joni Mitchell's 'Blue' and Syd Barrett sang in unison with Margo Guryan - yet somehow it sounds entirely original.  And entertaining!" 

The full Story (get a cuppa): It started with Camille deciding to learn how to write string arrangements.  She was writing songs furiously but with arrangements in mind and happened upon an uplifting encounter with Producer extraordinaire Tony Visconti.  "Why don't you just try and write all your own arrangements, I'm sure you can do it" 

And so began a heavy self-education on the subject.  Half way through, and feeling a little overwhelmed, she reached out to her other arrangement hero, Van Dyke Parks, with whom she had previously received heavy praise on her last album.  Before listening to her arrangements he asked to hear a few of the tunes, and took a particular liking to one, asking if he could write an arrangement for it.  As most of Camille's childhood soundtrack had been written by Van Dyke Parks, the answer was an obvious yes (!) and lunch in Los Angeles between the two saw them making plans.

Months later he sent the arrangement to Camille in the UK, where she resided in 2019 and she began working with the arrangement with other musicians.  2020 saw Camille send the arrangement to the great Jonathan Baker ( of the Neutrinos and The Voice Project fame) to conduct and record the string quartet.  The lot was sent to Norway where colourfully-masterful composer and artist Stein Urheim added guitars/percussion and oversaw assembly and mixing with Anders Bjelland.

Confusion over the next few years followed.  Camille endured much turbulence played in part to a temporary lock-down-induced-drinking binge which ultimately led to sobriety, and an international relocation to Spain from the United Kingdom.  Through it all she continued her writing and arrangement work and, in 2023 Camille had written nearly 3 albums worth of material, however this proved daunting when trying to assemble. Enter the remarkably brilliant-prolific Jeron Gundersen of Dibidim/Grandama/Klanghaus fame who helped her wade through her mass of material and cherry-pick songs to record as an album.  But where to record it?  Norway of course!  Camille took her songs and arrangements to the aberrantly- lustrous HP Gundersen (producer of artists such as Sondre Lerche and his own project The Last Hurrah!) in his new digs with the world famous hand-ball athlete-legend Cecilie Leganger in their home/studio on the North Sea.  Leganger had also been studying piano and theremin and added wonderful colourful elements to these recordings.  In addition to these sessions, more songs were recorded at the home of the divinely gifted Jonas Nielsen in Bergen, Norway (Aka Chet Jones/ previous member of Kakkmaddafakka) and Cellist Matias Monsen, alongside vocal dubs in the studio of acclaimed Grieg Academy Professor Jostein Gundersen (of Baroque ensemble Currentes fame) studio. 

All recordings were brought back to Asturias, North Spain for mixing in a Panera (breadbox) studio built by Jeron Gundersen -  and then, finally brought back to North-Norfolk, United Kingdom, to be mastered at the Philosophers Barn Studios by Eric James.

And there you have it - Camille Davila and her new album "The Local Orchestra"